Method of drying paints, varnishes, shellac, stains, etc.



March 26, 1929. WEBER 1,706,554

METHOD OF DRYING PAINTS VARNISHES, SHELLAC, STAINS, ETC

Filed March 2, 1925 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 March 26, 1929. K. A. WEBER 1,706,554

METHOD OF DRYING PAINTS, VARNISHES, SHELLAC, STAINS, ETC

Filed March 2, 1925 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 tfla/w W 64 741) "(In (I.

March 26, 1929. K. A. WEBER 1,706,554

METHOD OF DRYING PAINTS, VARNISHES, SHEL IAC, STAINS, ETC

Filed March 2, 1925 5 Sheets-Sl'ieet 3 smut Patented Mar. 26, 1929. 4

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

KARL ALBERT WEBER, 01 LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR TO WEBER SHOW- CASE & FIXTURE COMPANY, 013 LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, A CORPORATION OF CALIFORNIA.

METHOD OI DRYING PAINTS, VARNISHES, SHELLAC, STAINS, ETC.

' Application filed March 2, 1925. Serial No. 12,625.

This invention relates to a method of drying varnish, shellac, stains, or paints, etc., and is more particularly directed to a method of drying varnish, shellac, stains, paint or similar surface coverings employing a kiln drier operated to maintain a circulation of conditioned drying air so circulated as to maintain a heated drying atmosphere containing suflicient oxygen to effect a rapid and efiicient drying of these surface coverings.

In the drying of surface coverings, such as paint, varnish, shellac, stains and similar coverings, it is essential that the same be maintained in an atmosphere or gas containing oxygen and while such surface coverings will dry in an atmosphere containing a small percentage of oxygen, the rate at which these surface coverings will dry is dependent upon the oxygen contained in the drying atmosphere employed.

It is an object of this invention to provide a method of drying paint, varnish, shellac, stains or similar surfaces wherein air properly conditoned is employed and as the same is used to effect the desired drying, it is circulated out through the drier and air unconditioned and containing the normal percentage of oxygen is drawn into the kiln and conditioned While the drying operation isin progress.

It is an object of this invention to provide a method of drying painted shellacked, varnished, stained, or similar surfaces so constructed as to enable an unrestricted circulation of atmosphere so that the ox gen con tent thereof is maintained at a relatively high percentage.

An object of this invention is to provide a method of drying in which the articles to be dried are conveyed in a manner to require a minimum power and which drier is of relatively inexpensive construction and opera tion.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a drying kiln embodying this invention, partly broken awa Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof.

- sprocket wheels 17 carried Fig. 3 is an enlarged top sectional plan view of one end of the drying kiln as illustrated in Fig. 1, illustrating the conveyor system embodied in this invention.

Fig. 4 is a sectional side elevation of the end of the kiln illustrated in Fig. 3, illustrating one of the carrying devices mounted on the conveyor.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional end elevation of the drying kiln embodying this invention, taken substantiall on the line 55, Fig. 2.

Fig.6 is an en arged end elevation of the carrier embodying this invention, illustrating the same as mounted on and in position to be driven upward by the conveyer and showing a showcase mounted upon the carrier, the varnished surface of which it is desired to dry.

In the preferred embodiment of this invention shown in the drawings, 1 illustrates conveyors inclined upwardly at one side 2 to the center 3 and inclined downwardly on the opposite side 4 from the center 3. A housing 5 completely covers the conveyors 1 and has a central dividing partition 6 spaced from the sides 7 and a cover or roof 8 inclined at its respective portions to approximate the inclination of the conveyors l.

Mounted within the housing 5 and preferably under the raised portion of the conveyors 1 are means for heating the interior of the housing 5, which means preferably comprise a plurality of steam coils 9 spaced at more frequent intervals at the center 3 of the housing 5. A humidifier diagrammatically indicated at 10 of any suitable construction is adapted to force conditioned air into the kiln at the upper point of the center 3 as illustrated at However, it is not believed to be absolutely necessary that such a humidifier 10 be employed. The steam coils 9 are connected to a plurality of longitudinally extending headers 12 and valves 13 are provided for re ulating the steam admitted to the coils 9. T 1e headers 12 are connected to any suitable steam generator (not shown).

The supports 14 spaced throughout the drier are employed for maintaining the proper elevation of the conveyors 1 from the floor 15 of the drier.

The conveyors 1 are preferably constructed of a plurality of chains 16 ,mounted on on a plurality of spaced shafts 18, one" of which shafts 18 is driven through a sprocket 19 connected by a chain 20 .to an electric motor 21. It will, however, be obvious that any other suitable form of driving mechanism may be employed. A plurality of upwardly extending lugs or fingers 22 are carried by each of the chains 16 which lugs or fingers 22 are in position to engage the axles 29 of the carrier 24.

Outer tracks 25 and an intermediate track 26, of any suitable construction, are supported by the supports 14 and the outer wheels 27 and inner or central wheels 28 of the carrier 24 are adapted to 'ride thereon. The wheels 27 of which there are preferably two, are carried upon a shaft 29 which shaft 29 is loosely -journaled to a platform 30 of the carrier 24. The central wheels 28 are loosely journaled on pins 31 secured in the bifurcated brackets 32 at the respective ends of the platform 30. The article 33 to be dried (illustrated as a showcase), is mounted upon the platform 30. The chains 16 are ofi'- set on the respective sides of the central tracks 26. The ends of the housing 5 are provided with flaps 34 of canvas or other suitable material so as to permit an eas entrance and withdrawal of the materia to be dried. Three conveyors 1 are illustrated for conveying the articles to be dried in each direction. It, however, will be obvious that any desired number of these conveyors may be employed.

As it is desired to return 'the materials dried to the point from which they started, the housing 5 is divided into two sections A and B, the materials being entered into the section A, and the partition 6 divides the two sections A and B so that if desired the condition of the air in the section A- or the preliminar drying chamber, may be such as required or the preliminary or first step of drying of the articles while section B may be used as a final drying chamber.

The housing 5 is open at its ends and the highest point of these open ends is substantially on the same level with the lowest point center or peak and as hot air naturally rises circulation is maintained within the housing in the directions substantially as illustrated by the arrows in the Figure 2. The cold air enters at the bottom of each end and when heated travels upwardly along the conveyors 1, and as this air expands and travels toward the upper region of the housing 5 it forces the air from this point out along the upper regionof the housing 5 and hence out at the top of the open ends, so that a more or less natural circulation is maintained within the housing which does away with the necessity of the fan 10 and the humidifier 10 to blow air into the to of the housing 5, when the humidity of t e atmosphere is sufiicient to enable the proper drying of the said surfaces. By this means it is assured that the air used will contain a suflicient quantity or percentage of oxygen to effect rapid and efficient dryingof surface coverings of paint, varnish, shellac, stains or the like.

The air circulation is maintained in this dryer in a direction substantially as indicated by the arrows shown in Figure 2 without the "0 useof the fan 10 or thehumidifier 10. 1 prefer, however, to employ the humidifier 1G for the purpose of maintaining a control over the humidity of the atmosphere within the dryer so that uniform drying conditions can be maintained in the dryer irrespective of the humidity and temperature of the air.

The air circulation. is maintained by the heat supplied from the steam admitted to the coils 9, which are situated below the conveyors over which the material to be dried is carried. The coils 9 are mounted between the sides 7 which with the top 8 and floor 15 form the tunnels in which the material is dried. The incoming air travels along the floor to 85. contact the heated coils 9. The air is, by this means, heated and rises and as the heat radiation from the coils 9 is increased with the increasing number of coils 9 toward the center 4 of the dryer, the air continues to rise to the center 4 of the dryer. The air being heated is expanded and rises to the highestelevation on the dryer and as the air continues to expand it is forced out from the dryer along the lower surface of the roof 8 and leaves the dryer at the ends thereof at a high point around the flaps 34 which do not entirely close the end of the dryer, as will be apparent from Figure 4.

A plurality of carriers 24 being mounted 10 upon each conveyor 1 the force required to 6 draw the carriers 24 up the incline is greatly reduced by the forceexerted on the conveyor by the carrier assing-downward upon the opposite side of the conveyors 1. The carriers 24 are engaged with the lugs or fingers 22 of the chains 16 at their axles 29 so that the said carriers 24 are driven u the upwardly inclinded side by the driving of the chains 16 and'being enga ed with the lugs 22 the same/exert a pulling orce on the down wardly inclined side of the conveyor which is substantially equal to the force required to drive the same up the upwardly inclined side. By this means a minimum of power is required and the electric motor or driving means 21 is used solely to overcome the friction and the loss of weight of the dried articles 33 mounted on the carriers 24 of the moving parts, the kiln drier which I now have in operation requiring only a one-half horse power motor to furnish all of the power required for this drier.

Having fully described a preferred embodiment .of this invention,-it is to be understood that I do not wish to be limited to the exact construction herein set forth, which may be obyiously varied in detail without departing from the' spirit of the invention, as set forth in the appended claim.

I claim:

A method of drying surface coverings comprising conveying articles to be dried in an upward path to the center of a tunnel from 5 one end and hence down to the opposite end, circulating air inward at the bottom of the tunnel from the ends to the center of the tunnel, heating the incoming air, and circulating the air partially exhausted of its oxygen content out from the tunnel at its ends.

Signed at Los Angeles, California, this 19th day of February, 1925.

KARL ALBERT WEBER. 

